After School Programs are a Priority
Trying to meet this need, the Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc., is
currently giving assistance to 145 school-age childcare sites serving
families before and after school, on holidays, and during school
vacations. The Council also encourages the formation of new programs.
Latchkey children 10 to 14 years old pose a special problem. The national organization Invest in Kids: Fight Crime says that experts estimate that five to seven million kids go home to an empty house. Thirty-five percent of 12-year-olds are left to fend for themselves while their parents work. In the hour after school, juvenile crime triples.
In Nassau County Dr. Marc F. Bernstein, Superintendent of the Bellmore – Merrick Central School District, formed a group of youth experts and other citizens to promote after-school programs for latchkey kids. Hoping to prevent high-risk adolescent behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, or criminal activities, Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta made the Bernstein Committee an advisory council to the County. He also appointed a representative group of other knowledgeable individuals to promote the expansion of after-school academic and recreational activities.
Marion S. Levine, Executive Director of the North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center, wrote, “Young adolescents need safe places to go, a sense of belonging to a valued group, worthwhile activities, a sense of social responsibility, a feeling of hope, and relationships with caring adults.”
We know that many more programs are needed to provide just that kind of environment for all our school-age children. Believing that “childcare is a community concern,” we look to the future when the public and private sectors, individually and in partnership, act to make these programs a reality.